FOX's Sleepy Hollow Is A New Twist on an Old Legend

Alexis Bradley ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff
FOX’s new thriller, Sleepy Hollow, is an original take on the old Legend of Sleepy Hollow. With only a week left until she is upgraded to the FBI, Lt. Abbie Mills’ (Nicole Behaire) fate gets entangled with Ichabod Crane’s (Tom Mison), a man who claims to have been a spy for George Washington himself. The two must work together as humanity’s last hope of surviving the oncoming apocalypse foretold in Revelations.
With a character like Ichabod Crane, one who gets placed in one century from another, it’s so easy for the writers, or even the actor himself, to make the character appear daft, like some innocent, lost soul who can’t comprehend the things around him. I’m happy to say that this isn’t the case in Sleepy Hollow. Crane’s character is more akin to Joss Whedon’s Captain America, aware of his surroundings and how different he is from it, while retaining his cleverness and focus on his mission. Refreshing and believable, Ichabod Crane even provides some effective comedic relief.

The female lead, Abbie Mills is what really drew me to the show; a black-female character, not in a stereotypical black-female role. The show does focus on race for a few minutes with the first interaction between our two leads in a comical way, for historical purpose, but they do not dwell on it for long. Instead she’s a strong, sympathetic character with a somewhat tarnished past: A sister driven crazy, drifting in and out of institutions, which is relatable to Ichabod’s experiences. The chemistry they have is amazing and only grows stronger throughout the pilot, especially during the slower moments of the episode. So already the show has defeated two annoying archetypes; the sassy “oh no she didn’t” black-female character and the stereotypically and gimmicky dumb time-warped character.
The plot in itself is actually quite fascinating. It’s definitely a new take on Sleepy Hollow. Who doesn’t love a good apocalypse every now and then? With a set up that can easily become a comedy, it takes a dark turn and even expands the role of the Headless Horseman beyond the original story. To its core, the story is about an unlikely partnership between two very different characters set to stop something catastrophic.  A simplistic plot, but the new twists are what make it worthwhile.
Definitely be on the look out for Sleepy Hollow this fall. In a world of overdone plots and generic characters, this promising pilot definitely stands out. By the end of the pilot you will be already attached, ready to see where the plot would go next. Although the story itself was intriguing another great thing about it was Crane and his lovely sarcasm towards his new surroundings.
If you want a new twist to an old story with likeable main characters, check out Sleepy Hollow, airing Monday nights 9/8c on FOX.